


Home (Let Your Heart Out)

by ilovemygaydad



Series: punk!verse [1]
Category: Sander Sides, Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Angst, Everyone is a gay disaster, Fluff, Like, M/M, Mutual Pining, One-sided pining, a baby slow burn, bullet fic, deceit's name is dc, gymnast!dc, hoh/deaf!roman, kind of slow burn, none of the ships are established, pastel!virgil, punk!patton, there are basically no caps in this fic sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-07 18:52:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17966123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovemygaydad/pseuds/ilovemygaydad
Summary: Patton is sixteen years old, and still in an orphanage. He knows that he's going to spend the last two years of his childhood brooding and gloomy because there's no chance in hell that he's going to be adopted. He's going to age out, and probably live an unsatisfactory life in the fast food industry.Or... is he?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so here's the thing. this came to me when i was falling asleep (as all good stories do, and it's something i've really come to love. i wasn't actually going to post it on ao3, but like... i will.
> 
> if you have any questions or comments, you're free to send an ask on my tumblr (ilovemygaydad). writing prompts for this universe are also welcome!
> 
> warnings for this chapter: really awful people, bad parents, bullying, swearing, physical/verbal violence, homophobic slurs, homophobia, transphobia, sexual assault threat, patton’s honestly a bit of an asshole sometimes, fatalism, possibly something else?

  * patton is orphaned at three years old. he’s got fluffy brown curls, and these beautiful brown eyes, and a soft, round face, and so much soft pudge. he’s the cutest little thing. he seems like the kind of kid who would immediately be adopted
  * except he’s not
  * problem is, he’s just got so many _emotions_
  * and these prospective parents want the kids who are happy all the time, not the one who feels things so intensely
  * so he isn’t adopted
  * a few years later, he’s got these prospective parents who find him just precious. he’d been sitting in the corner of the playroom and reading winnie the pooh. the sweetest, quietest little boy.
  * and they set up a second time to come meet him
  * but when they arrive, he’s wrestling with the older kids and laughing and screaming and being a rambunctious child
  * those parents don’t come back after that…
  * fast forward to patton’s tenth birthday, and the older kids corner him after the celebration
  * “you know, once you hit double digits… it means you’re never going to be adopted.”
  * it just hits patton that no one wants a loud, excitable kid who’s over the age of ten, and he just kind of gives up
  * he loses himself in music and books and shuts himself off from the world
  * by sixteen, patton is dressing in all black and painting his nails and wearing dark eye makeup and lashing out at everyone
  * he’s the oldest at the orphanage by about four years
  * he also has his own room because he got in too many fights with the caretakers and other kids
  * he doesn’t mind. it gives him more privacy if anything
  * besides, it isn’t like he comes out of his room unless he’s forced
  * and when he’s forced, he absolutely fucking _hates it_
  * he sits in the corner of the playroom in a chair that isn’t comfortable for anyone over the age of five and stares at his phone, refusing to acknowledge anyone or anything
  * he’s so wrapped up in whatever’s on his phone that he doesn’t notice when someone comes up to him until they start talking
  * “hello. that chair seems rather uncomfortable.”
  * patton nearly falls right out of that damn chair at the sudden acknowledgement
  * he looks up and sees a man in his thirties sitting on an empty milk crate that previously had toys in it. the man looks like he stepped straight out of some stuffy office–tie and all
  * “yes, and?”
  * the man’s neutral expression doesn’t waver as he says “I’m Logan Summers. what’s your name?”
  * “nunya”
  * “nunya? that’s an interesti–”
  * “nunya business”
  * “oh…”
  * and they just kinda sit in awkward silence for a few seconds before logan speaks up again
  * “how much older are you than the other kids here?”
  * and patton just kinda stops because he thought that this dude would ditch when he gave him attitude, but he _didn’t,_ and he doesn’t know what to do, so he just… answers honestly
  * “four,” he says
  * and logan gives him this knowing look and makes an offer that he can’t refuse:
  * “i’m sure that you’ve lost hope in being adopted, but i’d like to take you with me and at least give you some place to fall back on if you need it. i won’t try to be a martyr parent, but i’ll definitely try to make you feel accepted”
  * so he lets logan adopt him
  * summer passes, and it’s time for school to start up for the year
  * and it’s patton’s first school experience (he’d been homeschooled at the orphanage for his whole life), so logan gets really excited and takes him back to school shopping and buys him some new (all black) clothes and school supplies
  * logan even offers to drive him to school, even though the school that he teaches at is all the way across town
  * patton refuses and just takes public transport
  * he gets to school and absolutely hates how fucking busy it is, so he heads straight for his first class and sits in the back corner of the classroom and messes around on his phone until attendance is taken and his teacher starts talking
  * and the teacher is talking about the class, it’s american english, and they’re expected to try because they’re juniors, blah, blah, blah
  * but then
  * _but then_
  * she tells them that they have to do a little ice breaker project with the person sitting next to them
  * so she explains it and tells everyone to go talk to their neighbor
  * patton being the edgy teenager that he is doesn’t move at all, letting his partner move their desk over to his
  * and they do
  * so patton looks over and finds this tiny boy in a soft lavender oversized jumper and translucent lavender glasses that take up half of his face. he has freckles dusting his rosy cheeks and nose, and he looks what patton imagined that he would’ve turned out like if he’d been adopted as a kid
  * “uh,” the boy says in a shy, sweet voice. “my name is virgil… you are…?”
  * patton _really_ doesn’t want to have to deal with people, so he scowls and says “look, i’m not really here to make friends and exchange pleasantries, so let’s get this thing done and move on to never speaking again”
  * and the kid just deflates and nods, not speaking again for the rest of the class except to offer a few words here and there
  * patton’s fine with that
  * eventually, the class ends, and patton takes his sweet time getting to his second period class because–shocker–he still hates this damn school and the damn people
  * so the final bell has rung, and he’s walking in the empty hall
  * but, as per usual, there’s a catch
  * three jocks are trailing behind him, exchanging some quote-unquote witty banter
  * “ohhhhh, fresh meat! wonder what rock he crawled out from…” “who cares, have you seen him? he’s wearing all that makeup to pretend to be a girl!” “or he’s just _gay!_ wouldn’t that just be hilarious” “wouldn’t he just love it if we took him to the locker rooms for some fun…”
  * patton ignores them in hopes that they’ll get bored and leave him alone
  * they don’t, and not a second later, he’s pinned against a locker by one of those jocks, and their wicked grins are almost enough to make him scared
  * luckily enough, he’s been in enough fights to know some self defense techniques
  * but he isn’t able to use them because he hears someone shout from a little down the hall
  * “hey! you leave him alone!”
  * and that voice is _virgil’s_ for some godforsaken reason
  * and one of the jocks snarls and goes to take care of their interruption
  * a few moments later, patton sees virgil flung into the lockers by a punch to the face, followed by a few choice slurs, and something in him just fucking _snaps_
  * he sharply kicks up at the same time that he pushes forward, successfully dislodging the boy holding him to the lockers with a shout
  * one of the teachers _finally_ comes out, but it just so happens that it’s at the same moment that patton breaks one of the jocks’ nose…
  * and they all get in so much trouble
  * logan scolds the hell out of patton when he arrives to pick him up because it’s only the first day of school, damn it!
  * but patton isn’t listening because he hears these adults–the parents of the jocks–screaming things like “how dare you do this to or baby boys!” and he sees them yelling these things at virgil and he does That Thing again
  * he storms up to them and just shouts at them
  * “listen here, you shit stains! virgil did absolutely _nothing_ wrong! he was trying to protect _me_ from those asshole sons of yours! they physically and verbally harassed me, and they threatened to sexually assault me! your ‘baby boys’ are nothing but menaces to society!”
  * and with that, he stomps out of the school, brushing past logan, who witnessed the whole rampage




	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings: swearing, lots of emotions, anxiety, worry, panic attack mentions, patton’s an asshole (both intentionally and not), a tiny bit of accidental ableism, hurt feelings, food mentions, possibly something else

  * here we go babey
  * for the entirety of his week-long suspension from school, patton just contemplates these icky, weird  _feelings_  that he’s having
  * because he thought that he’d gotten rid of them, but the way that he tried to protect virgil obviously proves something different….
  * before that day, he’d never tried to protect anyone before
  * it was patton against the world through and through 
  * but then this… this  _boy_  in these pastel clothes shows up, and suddenly patton wants to protect him!
  * like what the fuck?!
  * he decides to pretend that these emotions don’t exist because feelings are too much fucking work
  * so he goes back to school like nothing happened
  * which goes totally fine because virgil doesn’t attempt to talk to him for the entirety of their first block


  * when the bell rings, however… virgil pretty much slams his hands on patton’s desk before he can get up, leaning in with stern expression twisting his normally soft features
  * (which is only accentuated by the still-fading black eye that virgil mostly covered up with concealer…)
  * “are you okay?”
  * and patton is just taken aback by how forward virgil is being–especially since he’s wearing a light blue skater skirt and gray long-sleeved crop top, which is  _not_  the epitome of sternness, and pat stutters out a shy “yeah” before virgil goes off on a tiny rant
  * “that’s good! i was really worried that you’d gotten in a ton of trouble with your dad for swearing at those parents, and i had no way to know if you were okay, so i kind of freaked out for the whole week. and, like, i’m really sorry that i got involved because it ended up getting everyone in super big trouble–especially you–and that kind of sucks. so, yeah, sorry.”
  * patton hadn’t been listening since the word “worried,” as he’d become entranced by virgil’s color-shifting lip gloss. he sees pinks and blues and purples as virgil talks, and he leans in just slightly to get a closer look
  * ~~and it’s absolutely NOT because virgil’s lips look so pretty and soft pshhhhhh no~~
  * virgil notices that patton’s staring at him with furrowed brows, and he realizes that he’s looking at the lip gloss he’s wearing, and he sort of
  * freaks out…?
  * he flinches back and covers his mouth with his hands in one of his familiar bouts of self-doubt
  * “why are you staring at my lip gloss? does it look bad?” he rushes
  * and patton’s like
  * ????????? what?????
  * no???????
  * and in an unexpected turn of truthfulness, patton says, “no, it looks really pretty.”
  * and for some reason, there’s a weird, fluttery feeling in patton’s chest when virgil takes his hands away from his face and smiles
  * [john mulaney voice] now we don’t have time to unpack all of  _that_!
  * luckily enough, patton is saved from having to deal with the emotions when the warning bell for passing time rings, and both teenagers rush to scoop up their things and go to their next classes
  * even luckier, patton doesn’t have his next three classes with virgil, so he doesn’t have to think about his–gross– _emotions_
  * _but then_
  * lunch time rolls around
  * and patton hadn’t prepared for how absolutely fucking awful  _that_  mess would be!
  * as soon as he walks into the cafeteria, he’s accosted by so many noises and smells
  * he tries to leave, but the lunch monitor tells him that the kids aren’t allowed to leave once they enter until the end bell rings, which is such  _bullshit_ , but patton really doesn’t need another tick on his permanent record
  * clutching the brown bagged lunch in his fist, he scans the cafeteria for somewhere to sit and finds virgil sitting at an otherwise empty table near the trash cans
  * with a groan, patton makes his way over and plops himself across from virgil, who squeaks at the sudden companion and nearly drops his phone to the floor in surprise
  * “do you not have a lunch?” patton asks, choosing to ignore the fumble
  * “ah, no. i can’t eat the school lunches because i have celiac disease, so i usually just sit here on my phone”
  * with probably more force than necessary, patton tore the top off of his lunch bag and pulled out an apple, holding it out to virgil as he ordered, “eat it”
  * virgil hesitated for a second, but ultimately took the apple and bit into it, wincing as lip gloss got all over the skin
  * patton smiles gently and says a quick thanks to virgil before digging into his own lunch
  * they exchange a bit of banter, and all is going well and good until patton gets curious
  * “why do you dress like that?”
  * virgil freezes in his spot, and an emotion flashes on his face that patton deciphers just a few moments too late
  * “i–i’m sorry, i’ve got to go!” virgil mutters, leaving the half-eaten apple on the table and running from the cafeteria, ignoring the angered shouts of the lunch monitor
  * patton only spends a few seconds staring at the doors that virgil ran out of before he turns back to his lunch and shrugs. it’s not like he was really that into making friends at school. and he was already planning on sitting in the library for lunch
  * he didn’t care
  * ~~he really didn’t~~
  * ~~he _didn’t!_~~
  * patton pretends not to notice the fact that virgil’s name is called in several of his last few classes, but the quiet boy isn’t there
  * later that night after dinner, logan is sitting at the kitchen table grading some homework assignments from his first graders
  * “grading” being used very lightly. he was mostly looking to see if they actually followed the minimal instructions on their writing sheet
  * but then the doorbell rang, which was confusing for logan because he wasn’t expecting any visitors
  * he walks the few meters to the door and opens it
  * standing outside is a man in a slouchy hat and very…  _colorful_  clothes
  * “hi, are you logan summers?” the man asks in an odd accent that logan can’t place
  * “yes, and you are…?”
  * “roman sanders. my son, virgil, goes to the same school as patton”
  * and logan is internally going  _oh shit what the hell did patton do now_
  * on the outside, he simply says “do you want to come in? it’s a bit chilly, and i’d rather not cause a draft.”
  * roman nods and steps inside, and logan closes the door. he leads his “guest” to the living room where they can talk in comfort.
  * “did patton do something to virgil?” logan blurted out as soon as they were seated
  * “sorry, can you repeat that? you were talking too fast for me to read your lips.” roman gave a lighthearted laugh and took off his hat to reveal a mess of brown hair that didn’t quite cover the bright red hearing aids that wrapped around his ears
  * which would explain why his speech was different. he couldn’t actually hear what the sounds were supposed to be like
  * logan felt like an idiot
  * “my apologies. i just asked if patton did something to upset virgil. he isn’t the most…  _gentle_  person.”
  * roman’s smile turns to a grimace “virgil called me in the middle of the day to ask me to pick him up from school. i was lucky enough that all of my patients had scheduled for the morning, and i was able to get to the school without feeling guilty about cancelling someone’s session last minute. when i got to the school, virgil was sobbing. virgil likes wearing gender non-conforming clothing, and apparently patton asked why he liked to dress the way he did, and it spooked the poor kid. i was hoping to clear some things up so virgil would feel better.” (roman is a therapist)
  * logan
  * well
  * he was kinda pissed
  * patton of all people shouldn’t be judging others for dressing against the norm, since he did the exact same thing!
  * he quickly excused himself and dragged (figuratively, though he would have resorted to fireman carrying the teenager if he’d refused) patton to the living room to talk to roman
  * introductions happened blah blah blah and roman asks what patton did to upset virgil
  * and patton’s like “i was curious about his clothing style????”
  * roman kind of just narrows his eyes at patton and says “i want to know exactly what you asked before i make an assumption on what to do. words can trigger emotional responses depending on the person, especially with added influence of tone.”
  * ~~logan will never admit that he’s surprised at how intelligent this man is~~
  * ~~and how he’s a little bit attracted to him~~
  * and patton being patton said, “i just asked, ‘why do you dress like that’ and he got all upset! it’s not my fault he got offended by my curiosity”
  * logan pinches the bridge of his nose, and roman pulls out his phone
  * “we’re calling virgil, and you’re going to apologize to him”
  * roman starts a facetime call with virgil, and signs “hey, starlight! i have someone here who wants to talk to you.”
  * virgil both audibly says and signs “who?”
  * it sounds like he’d been crying
  * roman turns the phone so that it’s facing patton, who just crosses his arms and turns his face so that he doesn’t have to see virgil
  * “patton,” logan says in his Dad Voice. “apologize”
  * and then patton glances at the screen and sees virgil’s red nose and the tear tracks down his cheeks and how  _bad_  virgil looks, and he breaks
  * his voice is quiet and shy as he says “i’m really sorry for upsetting you. i was just curious as to why you chose such a unique style in an often unforgiving environment. i should have worded my question better”
  * patton peeks over at virgil, who seems to contemplate the apology for a few seconds before saying “i forgive you” with the tiniest baby smile  ~~that makes patton’s heart melt~~
  * and they both kind of seem to forget their dads are there until the phone is turned back to roman, who took the smiles and not speaking as a cue to take the call back
  * “i love you” he signs to virgil
  * “love you too,” virgil says (and presumably signs) “but  _please_  don’t hunt down every person who hurts me and do this. you’re lucky that i didn’t catch you, dad, because i would have kicked your ass before you would have left the house”
  * roman smiles, and patton lets out a surprised laugh because he didn’t think that someone as cute as virgil could physically swear
  * “dad, can you give the phone over to patton and let me talk to him in private for a few minutes?”
  * roman hands the phone over and follows logan into the next room (where logan definitely isn’t eavesdropping and relaying all of the information to roman)
  * “so,” virgil starts as soon as patton gives him an all clear “i wanted to explain to you why i dress the way i do even though it’s really simple: i just like the soft fabrics and colors. they make me feel much happier than when i tried to fit in with the other kids by wearing hypermasculine clothing.”
  * “that’s valid,” patton says because he doesn’t really know what else to say
  * “why do you dress in all dark colors and edgy clothing?”
  * patton hadn’t thought about virgil reversing the question on him, but he feels compelled to answer
  * so he does
  * he talks about his life at the orphanage and how he shut himself off from the world. he knew that people didn’t like him for his emotions, so he just tried storing most of them away and pushing others out of his personal space. he lashed out so easily because he was lonely but didn’t know how to properly express his emotions
  * and by the end of the explanation, virgil is a little teary, and he says “patton, you are far more lovable than you think. i’m sorry that the world told you otherwise”
  * and now patton is crying a bit, and they kind of just sit there for a second and take in their emotions
  * for once, patton doesn’t try to mash them down
  * the parents come in a few minutes later when the kids calmed down, and roman took his leave, but patton doesn’t forget to say goodbye to virgil first
  * and he’s actually kind of looking forward to seeing virgil the next day, even though he won’t admit it




	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings: swearing, lots of emotions, anxiety, worry, sympathetic deceit (his name is DC), jealousy, sadness, one-sided pining, rivalry mentions, depression mentions, divorce mentions, being held back a grade, arguments, anger, crying, unhealthy coping mechanisms, embarrassment, like some angst (sorry buds but emotionally closed off patton is an angst fest), food mentions, possibly something else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a clarification: logan and patton aren’t really father and son–they’re more like legal guardian and child. neither of them were looking for a father/son relationship, so they agreed that it wasn’t for them. i just didn’t clarify <3

  * a few weeks had passed since the whole clothes incident, and patton and virgil had actually become real friends
  * which was why patton was unnerved when virgil’s foot wouldn’t stop tapping in their first block class
  * patton scribbled out a quick “you okay?” on a piece loose leaf paper and nudged virgil’s leg to get his attention and passed over the note
  * a few moments later, the paper is passed back to patton, and virgil’s neat writing reads “yeah, just nervous”
  * “about what?”


  * “well… i was going to ask you if you wanted to join my family for our twice-monthly disney marathon on saturday. dad’s college friend comes with his son, dc. he’s a senior. everyone wears onesies, and we just chill and watch cartoons for the night. you don’t have to come if you don’t want, but i thought you might enjoy it.”
  * and patton’s like
  * oh
  * okay
  * this is… a thing
  * so he writes back, “sure. i think dc is in my photography class?”
  * and virgil passes the note back one last time, but the timing went poorly, and the teacher sees
  * she’s like “mr sanders. mr summers. are you passing notes?”
  * and patton rolls his eyes as he takes the paper and clips it into his binder “no, ms w. virgil thought that he’d missed some of the notes yesterday by accident, so i gave him my sheet so he could double check.”
  * and the teacher is like ,,,,,,,  _fine_  and goes back to teaching, but virgil looks over at patton and gives him this small, thankful smile
  * and if patton has some weird, fluttery feelings about it, then that’s  _fine_
  * even though he doesn’t
  * (the note says “7pm–last house on zora lane downtown. you’ll know the one ;)” and patton finds it  _really_  cute)
  * so saturday rolls around, and patton picks out some pajamas to go in because he doesn’t have a onesie
  * ~~logan had offered to buy him a onesie, but patton looked up one that he thought he might like, and it was nearly forty dollars. he refused to let logan spend so much money on something so stupid~~
  * he settles on a black muscle tank and black jogger sweats because there’s no way he’s going to break his aesthetic for a disney marathon
  * he  _does_  wear his glasses, though, because he doesn’t want to deal with the hassle of taking out his contacts before going to sleep and then putting them back in before anyone wakes back up, and he’s too blind to just go without
  * and he hates how the huge, square frames look on his face, and the lenses are so damn thick
  * but he wears them anyway because he has to
  * logan drives him to virgil’s house  ~~and it definitely wasn’t because logan was hoping to catch a glimpse of virgil’s dad what???~~
  * virgil was right–his house was so easy to find. it had a ranbow flag flying by the door, and about twenty little rainbow pinwheels stuck around the garden
  * it was either the sanders’ house, or it belonged to the world’s most excited five year old
  * the thing is, virgil didn’t mention that it was  _huge_  with  _gigantic fucking windows_  and a chandelier that was visible from the fucking street
  * patton gives a quick goodbye to logan and goes up to the door. he rings the doorbell, and almost immediately, the door swings open. there’s a tall man in a stitch onesie and round glasses smiling at him, and all patton can choke out is a small “hello”
  * and this man squeals
  * like
  * _squeals_
  * and then he says, “you must be patton! virgil has told us so much about you–come in!”
  * it isn’t like patton is just going to say no, so he walks inside and follows this stranger through the house, looking around as they go
  * the place is just as big as it looks from the outside. there’s a formal dining room to the right and a large office to the left
  * ~~patton wouldn’t really call the dining room “formal,” however, since all the chairs and the table are random colors and sizes and styles~~
  * but that doesn’t even mention the vast foyer with floating stairs to the second level on the left side of the hall and bridging to the upstairs on the right
  * patton couldn’t believe he was somewhere so fucking nice
  * they keep going and patton gets a few glimpses of the shiny kitchen and lush living room as they head through a door to the basement
  * disney music filtered up the stairwell as they descended into the finished basement
  * it smells like cookies and popcorn
  * they round the corner and there’s a little entertainment area with a rainbow of giant, fluffy bean bag chairs and a very large flatscreen tv that was currently on the main screen of winnie the pooh
  * there was also a bookshelf  _full_  of disney DVDs (and even a few VHS tapes of the classics)
  * virgil, roman, and dc were sitting on a couple of the bean bags, but virgil immediately hopped up and threw himself at patton when he noticed that he was downstairs
  * “you actually came! and you have glasses!!!”
  * patton huffs out a laugh as he wraps his arms around virgil and hugs him back “yes, i did show up, v. i wasn’t going to stand you up. and, yeah, i do have glasses. i didn’t want the hassle of bringing my contacts and solution and shit, so i just wore my glasses even though they look stupid”
  * “that’s bullshit!” virgil almost shouts, but he quickly corrects his volume “the glasses look really nice, pat. i swear.”
  * ~~and there’s that _stupid_  fluttery feeling again~~
  * patton rolls his eyes as virgil releases him from a hug, and he’s actually able to get a good look at his friend
  * virgil’s wearing an eeyore onesie, which matches the disney onesie theme of roman’s mushu onesie and dc’s beymax onesie
  * patton almost feels left out in his regular pajamas, but he cuts that shit out right the fuck away
  * virgil gestures to the man who brought pat downstairs “that’s emile. he’s dad’s college friend, and you said you know who dc is already” he still points to the boy who was draped over his bean bag upside down and staring at them with his heterochromatic eyes—the gold one standing out against the darker birthmark around his eye. dc flashed a peace sign, and patton waved back
  * virgil turns his gaze to the cookies and popcorn set out in the middle of the floor by the tv “those are free to eat—just don’t get between dad and the snickerdoodle ones. he’s vicious. and, i’m only telling you this because i know for a fact that i’m speaking too fast for him to understand”
  * so they all sit down and watch the movie
  * ~~patton decides to not notice when virgil moves from a pink beanbag to a purple one right next to patton’s blue one  
~~
  * the movie starts, and it’s all goofy and fun in the basement. the sanders and picanis are quoting the characters and singing along to the little songs
  * even roman, who signs along with a soft smile on his face
  * patton is kind of in awe at how relaxed everyone is
  * he’s also in awe at how freaking cold it is in the basement
  * he can feel himself curling up and shivering, and he totally regrets wearing a tank top
  * patton doesn’t know how, but virgil sees him shivering and hops up from his chair, whispering a hasty “i’ll be right back” before sprinting upstairs
  * when virgil returns, he’s holding a bundle of gray fabric that he tosses to patton
  * when the bundle is unfolded, patton sees that it’s a hoodie with cat ears and paws and a big pouch in the front
  * “sorry that it’s so cutesy,” virgil whispers. “it was the most black thing that i own…”
  * and patton just laughs a little because,,,, virgil’s thought process is really adorable and weird sometimes
  * like any hoodie or blanket would have done, but virgil absolutely  _had_  to get patton the darkest colored one
  * pat puts it on and instantly feels much warmer
  * after winnie the pooh, they change to black cauldron
  * roman whines for a little bit because “there aren’t even any songs!” but eventually concedes because it’s virgil’s favorite and he isn’t going to not let his son watch the movie on disney night
  * after that’s done, the adults decide they’re going to go to sleep
  * emile says it’s because they’re old, roman says it’s because he has yet to meet his prince charming in his dreams, and he is looking forward to it
  * as soon as the adults are gone, the teenagers move closer to the food in the middle
  * “so,” virgil starts. “it’s time for our gossip session. patton, you’re completely free to sit out if you feel uncomfortable”
  * “what, uh, does this ‘gossip session’ include…?” pat asks because honestly ???? he’s a bit afraid of what he might hear
  * dc decides to answer, saying, “usually it’s about what teachers are being shitty again, how classes are going, do we have any annoying group partners. that sort of fun stuff”
  * and patton just nods because that’s not bad at all
  * and then virgil does that cute thing like in the movies where he crosses his legs and rests his elbows on his knees and he puts his chin on his hands and he leans forward
  * you know
  * that thing
  * and he says, “sooooo dc. what’s up with that cute boy from school that you like? oh, what was his name? ryan? ray???”
  * dc rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, and his voice comes out clipped and low
  * “i don’t have a crush on remy sanders, who you already know because he is your  _cousin_. first of all, stop doing that every time you bring him up. second, stop fucking bringing him up”
  * virgil just kinda goes “aw, bud, you totally have a crush on him!”
  * and dc flips out
  * “you fucking know how much i hate your teasing about crushes, and then you go and tease me in front of someone i barely know? at least i don’t do that! actually, you know what? maybe i  _will_  tell patton who you have a crush on because, fuck it! we’re letting all of our secrets out, anyway! virgil has a crush on—“
  * virgil cuts him off with a loud “STOP” and patton swears that time froze in that room as everyone stares at each other
  * “i’m sorry,” he continues. “it was so uncool of me to tease you in front of patton without your consent. i just—i think you and remy would be good together, even if it’s just as friends”
  * dc stands up and starts to march to the stairs “remy and i were nothing more rivals in school, and now that he’s out of the competition, we don’t have anything to connect us. just fucking drop it. i’m going to bed”
  * patton doesn’t really know what the hell is going on with this remy guy, but he knows some major shit just went down
  * ~~he decides to focus on virgil instead of the twinge in his chest at the mention of virgil having a crush on someone  
~~
  * really softly, patton asks who remy is
  * “he’s my cousin,” says virgil “he’s technically the year above, but he got held back last year because of some personal stuff that messed with his school work.
  * “ever since we were kids, remy and dc were rivals in school. they were both smart and athletic and talented, and they wanted to be the best. they had a lot of chemistry despite the constant bickering, and i tried to get them to become friends instead of rivals. it never worked because remy spends weekends with his moms, so he couldn’t do disney nights, and on the days he was with his dad and could hang out, dc was busy with gymnastics.
  * “then, after rem got held back, they pretty much ceased all contact. i knew that both of them were hurting because they lost the thing that fueled them to be the best that they could be, but it was pretty obvious that they were missing each other, too.
  * “i just want them to be  _happy_!” virgil ends, hunching in on himself
  * patton hesitantly opens up his arms
  * “do you… do you want a hug”
  * virgil doesn’t even answer; he just launches himself forward and pretty much tackles patton to the floor in a hug
  * he’s sobbing now, and patton doesn’t really know what to do, so he pats virgil’s back every so often and whispers nice things to him
  * eventually, virgil’s breathing evens out and he’s just sniffling into the soaked cat hoodie
  * patton slowly releases him and rubs virgil’s arms gently in a reassuring gesture
  * “i’ve never actually done this whole sleepover thing before,” pat says with a sheepish grin, trying to play up the act (even if it is partially real). “would you mind if i slept in your room?”
  * virgil looks surprised for a second, but then his face smooths out into a tiny smile
  * “yeah, sure. it’s getting kinda late.”
  * they pack up the leftover food and stick it in a cupboard by the stairs before going upstairs
  * virgil grabs patton’s hand as the make their way to his room because tbh he needs the comfort
  * patton doesn’t mind
  * virgil opens the door to his room, and it looks just how patton expected
  * the bed is straight ahead from the door and placed at the bottom of a large window with pink curtains. the blanket and pillows are floral patterned in pastel colors. there are tall, white bookshelves on both sides of the bed that are filled with books of all sizes and colors; however, they look to be organized by age and genre, starting with children’s books and ending with adult fiction and nonfiction. there’s a door that leads to what patton assumes is an en suite bathroom and double sliding doors to the closet. the walls are painted a very light purple, and the remaining furniture are all a slightly darker purple. there’s a wooden desk strewn with tons of office supplies and a vanity with a large mirror and makeup neatly organized in small plastic drawers
  * everything just  _screams_  virgil
  * while patton is busy ogling at the room, virgil had gone and grabbed a sleeping bag and extra pillow, setting them up on the floor
  * “i’m gonna go brush my teeth, so make yourself comfy in the bed!” virgil said as he walked into the bathroom
  * “woah, wait—i’m not sleeping in the bed! this is your house. you get your bed!” patton argues as he takes off the wet sweatshirt and looks for a place to put his glasses for the night
  * “nuh uh!” virgil sticks his head out the doorway, toothbrush in hand and toothpaste all over his mouth. “you sleep in the bed”
  * “you aren’t sleeping in that sleeping bag. i refuse to let you do that.”
  * “fine!” virgil went back into the bathroom, and patton assumed that the argument was over, but virgil came back out with the same fiery look in his eyes. “if i can’t sleep in the sleeping bag, neither can you. get your ass in that bed before i tackle you”
  * patton had never been so afraid of a 5’7”, 130 pound boy before
  * he quickly slid under the covers with virgil following after he flicked off the lights
  * within just a few minutes, both boys were fast asleep
  * there is so much  _warmth_  when patton starts to stir in the morning
  * he’s just so warm, and he loves it
  * he curls into the warmth, and for a second he thinks about falling back asleep
  * _and then there was a soft giggle_
  * patton jolted back, opening his eyes to see that he was face to face with virgil
  * he had been  _cuddling virgil_
  * and virgil was laughing at him
  * “awwww, pat! you’re so cute when you’re asleep! you kept trying to cuddle me.”
  * “shut the fuck up,” patton grumbled, putting his glasses back on and slipping out of the bed
  * “but it was so cute!!!”
  * “and if you tell anyone,” patton growls (although, there isn’t much bite behind it) “i will  _end you._ I have a reputation to uphold, and i won’t let you ruin it”
  * virgil just laughs and follows patton downstairs, teasing him the whole way to the kitchen
  * roman’s already there, sitting on the counter and stirring a bowl of something
  * “morning, dad!”
  * “morning, starshine. why does patton look so grumpy?”
  * patton slumps into a chair at the table all emo and grumpy, and virgil softly sighs
  * “i was teasing him, and he got a bit grumpy at me. i’m sure he’ll lighten up as soon as we have pancakes to eat.”
  * surprised, patton glances over at virgil. he was expecting virgil to completely expose him like the older kids at the orphanage had done, but virgil hadn’t. the smaller boy smiles gently and winks, sitting down next to pat
  * ~~there’s this strong urge in patton to lean close to virgil, but he squashes that feeling down right the fuck away~~
  * “hey, has dc been down yet…?” virgil asks, and patton can see that he’s genuinely still worried and upset about what happened last night
  * “i am now,” dc announces as he walks into the kitchen
  * patton is Extremely uncomfortable right now
  * dc and virgil are just staring at each other when virgil speaks up again
  * “look, dc, i’m really sorry. it was super selfish of me to try and force your life a certain way based on what i wanted. i’ve always just wanted you two to be happy, but i let my own emotions get in the way”
  * there was a long pause, and for a second, patton thought that dc was going to throw hands or something
  * “i forgive you, virge,” dc sighs, and he sits down next to virgil. “i’m sorry, too. i was about to deal a low blow, and that was equally shitty.” he groaned and hid his face in his hands. “and you were  _right”_
  * _“_ right about… what, exactly?” virgil asked
  * “i have a crush on remy”
  * “oh.  _oh!_  oh my gosh, dc! that’s sweet! aw, i’m proud of you.”
  * patton has NO clue what’s going on, but he thinks it’s a nice family moment, so he decides not to intrude
  * dc and virgil chat for a few minutes, and patton stares at the table silently
  * it feels a bit like breakfasts at the orphanage where everyone else would laugh and talk and be normal kids
  * and he would just
  * sit
  * alone
  * all the while, roman had been cooking, and he shouts out, “alright, every-gay–i mean, except patton?”
  * “nah, i’m… i’m gay, too.” 
  * “sweet!” roman says with a sigh of relief. “every-gay, it is time for… cinnamon roll pancakes!”  
  * a huge–like, at least thirty–pile of pancakes was set in the center of the circle, and everyone immediately began to set pancakes on their own plates and slather the frosting on top
  * dc and virgil began to banter with each other and, against his better judgement, patton joined in
  * and it felt…
  * really nice
  * patton was getting to know virgil’s friends and family better, and it was so interesting to finally be part of some sort of family dynamic for the first time
  * then he looked over at virgil, who was stuffing pancakes into his face and
  * the feelings kind of hit him straight in the face
  * _he’s in love with virgil_
  * virgil, his best friend
  * virgil, who tried to defend him even after he’d been a total asshole
  * virgil, who… had a crush on someone else
  * patton almost drops his fork as a sick, sad feeling twists inside of his stomach
  * he can’t be in love with virgil because virgil doesn’t love him
  * for the rest of the morning, patton’s all fake smiles, and he keeps quiet
  * he says a quick goodbye to virgil when logan shows up to drive him home, and he sits silently in the car as logan chats with roman for a few minutes
  * he doesn’t turn around to wave at virgil
  * when he gets home, he immediately goes to his room and cries into his pillow
  * life was a lot easier when he stifled his emotions…



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, they're all dumbass gays. this will be further established next chapter


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings: patton angst, lots of emotions, panic attacks, anxiety, crying, food mentions, kissing, caps, swearing, possibly something else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is short but it's cute so don't kill me?

  * so you know how patton was being emo at the end of the last part
  * yeah
  * so here’s the thing
  * _it’s worse now_
  * about three days have passed
  * and hooooo boy
  * patton is  _emo_
  * he barely speaks, he reads during lunch instead of chatting with virgil, and he barely even glances at the poor kid
  * and virgil is so worried, but he doesn’t know how to bring it up
  * so after the final bell rings, virgil grabs patton before he can sprint out of the classroom and sits him back down
  * “what’s bothering you, pat? why aren’t you talking to me?”
  * there’s such genuine worry in virgil’s eyes, that when patton looks at him, he freaks out
  * without even thinking, he’s sprinting out of the classroom and disappearing into hallway traffic
  * and virgil is left in the classroom, staring at patton’s supplies
  * and he can’t help wondering
  * _what did i do wrong?_
  * because, obviously, if patton feels the need to run away, it must be something that virgil did
  * tears well up in his eyes, and his breathing starts to become ragged
  * he scoops up his own belongings and goes through his normal routine, trying to ignore the intense panic attack that he’s having
  * he somehow manages to get out to roman’s car and buckle himself up
  * roman looks over to virgil to ask how his day went, and virgil just crumbles
  * knowing damn well that they won’t be able to talk while driving home, roman moves the car to an empty parking space and parks
  * “hey, starlight. it’s okay. breathe. you’ve just gotta breathe...”
  * it takes a few minutes, but virgil’s breathing evens out, and he’s mostly just a sniffling mess
  * “hey, you wanna tell me what’s wrong?”
  * and virgil  _almost_  loses it again, but he manages to spit out, “patton’s upset, and i don’t know what to do, and i’m pretty sure it’s something i did wrong”
  * internally, roman’s like  _god damn that kid making my son upset again_ , but externally, he asks, “why does that make  _you_  upset?”
  * “because...” virgil stutters a bit. “because i love him, dad, and i don’t want him to be sad, especially not because of me”
  * and roman’s like  _oh,_ ** _shit_  **
  * because, like, yay virgil’s in love, but it’s with patton, and it’s currently bad news bears
  * “honey, how does patton get home?”
  * “the bus stop on main and willow”
  * “alright. how about you drive home, and i’ll meet up with you later. i’ll get us ice cream, and we can watch big hero six.”
  * “okay,” virgil says, and roman’s about to leave the car when virgil grabs his arm and attention again. “you aren’t gonna be mad at him, are you?”
  * and roman’s heart kinda breaks like, “no, honey. i’m just gonna try to get both sides of the story before i make assumptions”
  * so virgil lets him go, and roman makes his way to the bus stop
  * no one’s there yet, so he sits there and watches the cars pass, checking every thirty seconds or so to see if patton’s coming
  * and finally he does, and he’s got his hood up and headphones in, and when he glances up and sees roman, he mutters “oh shit” and is about to turn around because there’s no way in hell that he’s going to talk to the dad of his crush after ruining his friendship with said crush
  * but roman calls out, “wait, hey! I really need to talk to you”
  * and patton’s like
  * hnnnnnnnn
  * _fuck_
  * but he stops and sits down next to roman, curling in on himself because  _ew, emotions and shit_
  * “okay,” roman starts, all serious, and patton’s internally kicking himself for not running away from the bus stop. “what’s up with you and virgil?”
  * “ _nothing”_ patton sneers, crossing his arms
  * “fine. you know that i can’t make you say anything, but i’m really trying to not hate you right now because i know that virgil actually cares about you as a friend, and i’m not going to hurt him like that.”
  * and maybe it was a  _bit_  of a manipulation, but roman was kinda at the end of his rope with this kid, and he really didn’t want virgil to be all fucked up because of some punk-ass kid he met on the first day of school and decided that they were going to be friends
  * “i... i have a crush on him, and i don’t know what to do.”
  * patton looks as if he’s going to cry, and roman’s dad instincts kick in despite his better judgement
  * “about what?”
  * “the crush. he likes someone else, and it’s so selfish to want to be with him when he doesn’t feel the same way, but everything i try to get over him fails. he’s so sweet and loving and kind, and i want to spend every second with him, even though i can’t.”
  * roman sighs, and reaches out for patton’s shoulder. “i think you should talk to him, patton. it’s not good for you to keep trying to hide your feelings, and it will put a harsh strain on the friendship you have with virgil.”
  * “but he doesn’t like me--”
  * “did he tell you that?” roman asks very seriously
  * “no, but...”
  * “then you don’t know anything for sure. it’s better to take the chance with the possibility of success than suffer silently and watch everything crumble. love has risks, and you can’t avoid that.”
  * and patton’s like
  * “gaH you’re right! i hate that you’re right, but you are.”
  * and that’s when the bus comes, and patton waves at roman as he boards. he watches as roman walks away and the bus goes on its route and is just pondering what roman said
  * so he texts virgil “meet me @ 6 at the park by your house. we need to talk”
  * and, like, yeah, he feels a bit bad about being cryptic since he knows that virgil gets anxious easy, but what else is he supposed to say
  * “hey, i have a massive crush on you, and i want to confess to you why i’ve been acting weird lately, and that’s it! come meet me at the park so we can make out/you can reject me horribly!”
  * like???
  * fuckin no??????
  * patton gets home around 3:30, and he works through his homework by 4:30
  * at five, he grabs an extra jacket, steals some money from logan’s wallet, and tells logan to just put dinner in the fridge for him because he’s going out
  * (logan trusts patton not to do anything bad. a couple dozen dollars go missing from his wallet every so often, but it’s not like patton has an income outside of the house, and patton’s been completely trustworthy so far. he doesn’t question it.)
  * patton takes the bus to a whole food’s and buys some gluten free cookies
  * (he has to ask a couple of the workers which are the best, and he finds some that seem reasonable enough)
  * he gets to the park ten minutes early, and he’s floored by how massive it is once again
  * he’d only been there about two times--both with virgil--and the place is just plain huge
  * there are multiple soccer fields and a baseball diamond and a small place for skateboarding and then a really nice playground
  * apparently, it gets a lot of use during the warmer seasons, but by mid-fall, it’s pretty much empty
  * hence why he asked virgil to meet him there
  * patton goes to the playground and sits on top of the monkey bars, holding onto the cookies and looking up at the sky to pass the time
  * “are you gonna be all edgy up there, or are you going to come down?” virgil’s voice suddenly rings out, and patton smiles gently
  * he swings himself so he’s hanging upside down from his knees, smirking right in front of virgil’s face
  * “and ruin my aesthetic? i don’t think so, pal.” he then holds the cookies out to virgil. “cookies?”
  * virgil takes them, and patton drops down from the monkey bars with surprising grace
  * patton finally takes a good look at virgil, and, like he suspected, virgil’s still wearing the clothes he wore to school and didn’t put a jacket on despite the frigid weather, so he took the extra jacket that he tied around his waist and wrapped it around virgil’s shoulders 
  * “thanks, pat,” virgil murmured between bites of cookie. “what’d you wanna talk about?”
  * patton’s chest tightens as remembers what he’s supposed to be doing, and he gestures towards the small skate park
  * “let’s sit down on one of the tables”
  * so they do, and patton takes a few breaths before he speaks again
  * “look, virgil... the reason that i’ve been so weird recently is that...” he turns his gaze down at his hands so he doesn’t have to see virgil’s face “i have a crush on you”
  * “oh,” virgil says plainly. “ _oh_...”
  * and patton realizes that roman was dead wrong--this was a  _horrible_  idea
  * “god, this was a mistake,” patton says, trying to force down the tears in his eyes as he slides off the table and starts walking away.
  * “no! no, oh my god, no, patton!” virgil rushes as he hurries to catch patton’s arm. “shit, patton, i’m massively in love with you.”
  * “...what?”
  * patton steals a glance toward virgil, who is smiling and teary and so, so beautiful
  * “i love you so much, and i would very much like to be your boyfriend.”
  * patton is astounded at this adorable boy that decided that he was going to befriend this weird punk kid on the first day of school. virgil, who is so soft and sweet and completely unlike patton himself, is in love with him
  * and virgil is just so happy that this once lonely punk boy is finally starting to feel comfortable in his own skin and get over his past pain. he saw the way that patton’s eyes sparkled when he was passionate about something, and he never wanted to be away from that light
  * “can i kiss you?” patton asks softly
  * “of course, you big sap”
  * patton leans in and their lips meet and it’s just
  * _awesome_
  * and neither of them cares that virgil’s lip gloss is going to smear or that it’s cold outside or anything
  * it’s just them, and that’s what matters
  * when they break the kiss, they stare at each other for what feels like an eternity before virgil breaks down in giggles
  * “what?” patton asks, furrowing his brow
  * “dude, you’ve got so much fucking lip gloss on your mouth right now. it looks good on you.”
  * patton rolls his eyes and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand “shut up, or i won’t kiss you again”
  * “heY!” virgil says indignantly, pouting and crossing his arms
  * “aw, you’re cute when you’re all pouty”
  * “shut up, or  _i_  won’t kiss  _you_  again!”
  * “okay, okay! stalemate!”
  * so they spend a little more time kissing because wow this is nice and new and weird
  * eventually, they need to go home, so patton walks virgil back to his house, kissing him good bye on the front step before they part ways
  * as soon as patton is a little down the street, virgil sprints inside and immediately finds his dad, tackling him
  * “DAD, PATTON AND I ARE DATING!”
  * roman gasps (pretending he didn’t have a very instrumental part in that confession) “aw, virge! that’s awesome! i’m so happy for you!”
  * patton, on the other hand, is much more calm about telling his adult about it
  * he leans in the doorway of the kitchen, where logan’s looking over worksheets, and simply states “virgil and i are dating”
  * and logan smiles because he’s really happy that patton is finally settling in in and becoming happy
  * “that’s nice, patton. if you don’t mind, i’d like to invite virgil and his father over for dinner on friday. it would be nice to get to know them more.”
  * and patton’s like “yeah, sure thing. i’ll ask virgil tonight”
  * virgil gets a text while he’s gushing to roman about patton like “hey logan wants you and your dad to come over for dinner on friday. sound good?”
  * and both roman and virgil are so fucking hype, and they say yes
  * so friday dinner is a thing




	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warnings–these are very important this chapter: food mentions, stress, anxiety, kissing, flirting, divorce mentions, making out, mentions of murder (i’ll mark it out), attempted murder, guns, gunshots, gun wounds, head trauma, homophobic parents mention, homophobia, there’s so much swearing i am so sorry, maybe something else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i posted this on tumblr two days ago but i... am lazy. sorry?

  * it’s friday night babey which means that it’s dinner time with the sanders, and logan and patton are freaking out
  * logan has been cooking/prepping food for the past day, and he immediately started finishing up as soon as he got home from work
  * patton, on the other hand, was feverishly cleaning the entire house 
  * it isn’t even messy, but he’s worried that virgil and/or roman are going to be upset
  * (which they aren’t????? but whatever)
  * and patton even cleaned himself up! he tried (and failed) to tame his wild curls into some sort of neat  _anything_ , and he wore his nicest pair of black jeans and a black sweater with floral designs that he’d bought at the mall with virgil a while back
  * it was a little out of his comfort zone, but virgil insisted that he get it because it looks very good on him
  * and, god damn it, you can’t say no to virgil’s puppy eyes
  * the doorbell rang just before five, and logan ran out of the kitchen to get it
  * patton literally vaulted over the couch, skidding to the door just behind logan
  * virgil is like
  * _literally_  the cutest person on the planet
  * he’s wearing a white lace dress that has a flowy skirt, and he’s got a white flower crown on, and he looks like an angel


  * during the time that patton’s being a gay disaster, virgil holds out a bouquet of blue flowers and says, “dad made me get them for you”
  * patton smiles gently and takes them, pulling virgil in for a quick kiss before leading him inside
  * roman has, like,  _eight_  giant tupperware containers full of cookies and brownies and stuff in his arms, and logan’s like
  * what???? the fuck?????
  * “you didn’t need to bring desserts, roman. i have ice cream…”
  * and roman gives this cocky smile and says “my best friend, emi, loves to bake for us, but he doesn’t really know how to limit himself, so we have  _tons_  of baked goods lying around that we can’t eat. not to mention that i can’t keep up this fabulous figure if i only eat sweets!” wink wonk
  * and logan can feel his face heating up after that wink, but he pretends that it’s just the heat from inside
  * ~~roman really does have a good figure…~~
  * logan chooses to not respond to roman, instead saying, “let’s go inside so you can put those containers down”
  * they turn to go, and they catch a glimpse of patton and virgil from down the hall
  * the kids are sitting on the couch, laughing and talking and exchanging the occasional kiss
  * the adults watch for a second because  _aw,_ but quickly move on to the kitchen
  * “you can set the containers down on the counter over there. i made a a couple of different things for dinner just in case you two didn’t like something that i made, so there’s spaghetti, pizza, and hamburgers. everything is absolutely gluten-free; i know because i triple checked with a list online and bought new utensils to reduce contamination. you’re free to have as much or as little as you like–i won’t be offended either way.”
  * roman kind of freezes because  _holy shit_  that’s so thoughtful and kind
  * “that’s… logan, that’s too much. you didn’t have to do all that for virgil.”
  * “what are you talking about? it’s only common courtesy to assure that your guest is able to eat without getting sick, especially when they have a disease that can cause irreparable damage to their body.”
  * “yeah, but a lot of people don’t care enough to ask or remember, so virgil often has to find something else to eat last minute… i brought an extra dinner just in case, which is very unfair to your person, but virgil has suffered too much for me to not be careful.”
  * “that’s…” logan starts, trying to express what he feels. “that’s just  _shitty_.”
  * roman smiles and laughs a bit, replying, “yeah, it is, but at least you aren’t, you know, shitty”
  * and they have this little moment where they smile at each other, and both of them are like  _wow this man is… good looking_  but they snap out of it because
  * dumb gays
  * everyone in this au is a dumb gay
  * ~~including yours truly but that is noT important~~
  * logan’s like “hey we should get the kids for dinner” and roman obvi agrees
  * but when they go to get them, they see the kiddos being all adorable and gay and logan turns to roman with this very serious expression like
  * _we must spy on them. this is the cutest shit i’ve ever seen._
  * so they shuffle over to the edge of the doorway, just out of sight, and logan peeks his head in every now and then for visuals, and he’s repeating what he hears so that roman can understand what’s happening
  * logan’s in the middle of telling roman something when
  * dun dun dunnnn
  * a voice suddenly appears from behind them like
  * (the voice is virgil)
  * “what… are you two doing…?”
  * **_fucking busted_**
  * logan is like
  * aHa i can lie to these children!
  * and he says, “we were talking about work–”
  * but patton just cuts him off with this deadpan look and “you two are horrible liars”
  * cut to: roman gasping in offense that this emo nightmare of a child just called him a liar when he didn’t even say anything
  * so he says, “i didn’t even say anything”
  * patton, being… well, being the asshole that he is, says, “my point still stands”
  * roman splutters for a while longer, trying to look at virgil and logan for help, but virgil just shrugs and walks with patton to the table, and logan is still very embarrassed about getting caught
  * it takes a few seconds, but both adults recuperate and move on to what’s important
  * which is, obviously, dinner
  * logan walks virgil through what’s available and offers to cook something else if he isn’t feeling particularly happy with anything
  * virgil damn near cries at how nice logan is
  * dinner gets served, and they all start eating the (delicious–who would guess that calculator watch knew how to cook something that tasted like it was served in a fancy restaurant) food
  * after a few minutes of idle chatter and slight pda between the kids, logan offhandedly comments, “you know, i am extremely happy for the both of you that you didn’t cycle through numerous girlfriends before finding out that you’re queer like many of us do.”
  * and everyone at the table freezes because
  * _logan’s gay????_
  * _“_ hold up,” roman says with a shocked expression. “you’re gay?”
  * and virgil sighs and shakes his head because “dad, you’re an idiot. he literally has a pride phone case, and there are multiple pictures of him at pride around the house–including one right behind you.”
  * he also elbows patton when the punk mutters out a very soft “what the  _fuck”_
  * “i applaud your observational skills–”
  * “i assume neither of you knew that he was jewish, either”
  * and now it’s logan’s turn to be surprised because… who the hell is this kid
  * “you have a dreidel on the mantle that i assumed you forgot to put away after Hanukkah last year.” everyone stared at him. “oh, i’m  _sorry_  that i’m not as much of a dumb gay as my father.”
  * cue roman getting offended again
  * “excuse you! the role of ‘dumb gay’ is exclusively reserved for thomas f. sanders!”
  * poor patton hasn’t stopped being confused this whole time, but roman luckily jumps right back into his explanation
  * “my twin brother, thomas, didn’t realize that he was gay until he had been with a woman for six years and had a child with her. they amicably parted ways because, like him, she was also gay. i am not nearly as stupid as my brother, and i take great offense to virgil calling me a ‘dumb gay!’” he said matter-of-factly
  * virgil opens his mouth to say something, but roman cuts him off with a swift “if you so much as think about saying what you’re going to say, i will throw you into the ocean without a moment’s hesitation.” roman then very calmly turns to patton and says sweetly, “so, only good child at this table, tell me a bit about yourself so that i know what my devil child is getting himself into.”
  * ~~unbeknownst to roman, virgil mutters “dumb gay,” under his breath, causing logan to crack a smile across the table~~
  * patton shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “my birthday is february nineteenth, my favorite color is blue, and i’m homoromantic asexual.”
  * roman waited for patton to say more, but the teen averted his gaze back on his food and took another bite
  * logan decided to pick up the slack after the few seconds of awkward silence “what about you, virgil?”
  * unlike patton’s less than enthusiastic reply, virgil perked up at the chance to speak
  * “oh, well, my birthday is june second, and i really like purple! i’m pretty sure that i’m pan, but i have a preference for guys. oooh! and i really want to be an elementary school teacher.”
  * that made logan perk up. “really? i currently teach first graders across town.”
  * “no way!” virgil gasped. “that’s awesome! i love little kids so much. they’ve got so much energy.”
  * “and their intelligence is unrivaled!”
  * “yes!”
  * roman and patton watched as the two excitedly conversed about kids and teaching
  * patton admired virgil’s enthusiasm, and was happy that he was getting along with logan.
  * ~~and virgil looked really cute with his happy smile and the little glimmer in his eyes~~
  * ~~patton may or may not have zoned out in favor of staring at his beautiful boyfriend~~
  * roman couldn’t really tell what logan and virgil were talking about (they were speaking far too quickly for him to follow), but he admired how excited logan looked when he was speaking
  * ~~oh no~~
  * ~~roman was falling for logan~~
  * ~~time to not follow his own advice and pretend that his feelings don’t exist~~
  * after another half hour or so of chatting, the adults and kids split ways for a while
  * patton and virgil went up to patton’s room, and logan and roman stayed in the living room
  * the boys settled together at the end of patton’s bed, holding hands and leaning on each other
  * “you look paw-sitively purrfect, virgil” patton giggled
  * “is… are you saying that because i have cat-eye eyeliner on?”
  * “…maybe”
  * virgil smiled and pulled patton in for a kiss
  * they kissed for a little, but patton eventually pulled away
  * he looked worried, and he fidgeted with his hands as he said, “do you think that your dad likes me?”
  * “well…” virgil started. “he didn’t like you for a long time. after the first day of school, he kind of held a grudge on you.” patton winced, but he didn’t get the opportunity to say anything. “i think he’s forgiven you now.”
  * “really?”
  * “i promise. he just wanted to protect me because he’s my dad, but i think he’s realized that you’re not actively trying to hurt me, and you’re just a bit dumb at times”
  * “hEY”
  * virgil smiled and nudged patton “you know i love you”
  * “hnnnnnn i love you too”
  * “heLL YEAH!”
  * meaNwhiLE downstairs
  * logan led roman into the the living room and roman was
  * _stunned_
  * because logan had at least a thousand books meticulously organized around the room
  * “how many books do you have in here…?” roman asked, running his hand over an entire collection of encyclopedias 
  * “about one thousand two hundred on the shelves, but i have some children’s books in those baskets at the bottom as well as the books that are starting to fall apart like my copy of hamlet”
  * “how did you even get so many books? i’ve been collecting novels my whole life, and i only have a few bookshelves full”
  * “my mom is a librarian, and whenever they would get newer copies of books or get rid of unwanted books, she’d give them to me. i’ve bought a fair few of these myself, but there are only so many that i can buy on a teacher’s salary”
  * and roman’s like
  * ?????  _hot_
  * and logan keeps rambling on about books, and roman’s just having a gay crisis but it’s fine 
  * but then logan looks at roman expectantly, and roman hadn’t exactly been paying enough attention to read logan’s lips, so he played the “can you repeat yourself? i didn’t catch it” card
  * “sorry. i asked how you came to adopt virgil”
  * and roman obviously is like hey how about we spill a lot of sad life things with this almost stranger because he’s cute
  * **_~this is where the murder is mentioned~_**
  * “his mom was my best friend in high school. although we went our separate ways for college, she stayed supportive of me after i came out. she was… the only one from my old life who would even think to talk to me. even  _thomas_  hesitated to talk to me for fear of crossing our parents and their ridiculously catholic ideas.” roman sighed. “eventually, though, she got mixed up in some bad stuff, and she got with this drug addict who got her pregnant with virgil. when virgil was about a year old, the guy thought that my friend was cheating on him, and he shot her. the shot, luckily, didn’t kill her right away, and she was able to push him into the corner of a table and kill him before he could get to virgil. she called the police, but she died before they could get there. as soon as i found out, I went and started the adoption process. i had only been a year out of college at that point.”
  * **~end of the murder mention~**
  * logan was stunned. “that is… horrible, roman. i am so sorry for your loss.”
  * “it’s alright,” roman said with a shrug. “it was over a decade ago, and it led to me getting the best thing in my life. the circumstances were shit, but virgil has made me a better person, and i wouldn’t know what i’d do without him keeping my head on gay.”
  * “you mean straight…?”
  * “nothing about me is straight, logan. don’t be absurd”
  * eventually, it’s time for roman and virgil to leave
  * virgil and patton walk out to the car and leave the adults at the door because they wanna kiss each other goodbye without being spied on
  * on their way to the car, virgil whispers “how much do you want to bet that they’ll be flirting with each other by the time we leave”
  * “ten dollars. i mean, didn’t you see how your dad looked at logan? it was gross!”
  * meanwhile, at the door…
  * roman leans back on the doorframe and smiles. “this was a nice night, logan. virgil definitely had a lot of fun”
  * “that’s great; i’m glad”
  * “here–give me your phone. i’ll put my number in, and we can get together some other time to get to know each other better”
  * logan obliged, and roman sent himself a text using logan’s phone and set his contact name as “prince of your dreams”
  * they chatted for a minute or so longer, just to give the boys enough time to say their goodbyes, before parting ways
  * logan didn’t spend the rest of the night texting roman
  * don’t be ridiculous




End file.
